Embodiments of the invention relate generally to superconducting generators, and more particularly to systems and methods involving protection of superconducting generators for power applications.
In this regard, the protection of a superconducting generator field coil, which is constructed of a superconducting material (“superconductor”), is important to prevent damage of the field coil or other components in the event of a malfunction. For example, during generator operation, if the superconducting field coil rises above a certain temperature, thereby causing it to transition into a non-superconducting or “normal” state (a process known as “quenching”), this can result in significant damage to the field coil and/or other components rendering the generator inoperable and possibly unsalvageable. To prevent such damage when quenching occurs, it is important to dissipate the electrical current flow in the field coil to avoid excessive heating as a result of the increased resistance that occurs when the superconductor becomes normal. An external resistor that is connected in series with the field coil during quenching has been used for such purpose. However, this external resistor is usually large and heavy, which impacts the use of the generator in various power applications due to increased size, weight, associated costs, etc. Therefore, the ability to quickly dissipate the electrical current flow in the field coil during quenching without the use of an external resistor is desirable.